Adjustable head rest for chiropractic treatment



y 7, 1957 J. c. THOMPSON 2,791,215

ADJUSTABLE-HEAD REST FOR CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT Original Filed Nov. 10, 1952 1/, M a 6 Af United States Patent ADJUSTABLE HEAD REST FOR CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT Joseph Clay Thompson, Davenport, Iowa Original application November 10, 1952, Serial No. 319,639, now Patent No. 2,684,064, dated July 20, 1954. Divided and this application April 5, 1954, Serial No. 420,981

3 Claims. (Cl. 128-69) My invention relates to headrests for use in connection with chiropractic tables or other supports in administering chiropractic adjustments to the upper cervical region of the spine, including particularly the atlas and axis vertebrae.

This application is filed to cover an invention disclosed in applicants application for patent upon Adjustable Headrest, Serial No. 319,639, filed November 10, 1952, now Patent No. 2,684,064, and is filed under the provisions of Sec. 120 of Title 35 of the Federal Code Annotated of the United States, and is intended to cover one specific form described in said application the claims to which specific form were rejected by the Examiner and which applicant was obliged to cancel in order to secure the issuance of patent upon the allowed claims.

The objects of my invention are to provide an apparatus which will render cervical adjustments in the region described painless or as nearly painless as possible and to improve the effect of such adjustments; to provide an improved form of headrest which can be used either as an integral part of a chiropractic table or can be used separately and applied to various forms of chiropractic tables or supports in common use; to provide a form of headrest with a stationary base plate and with a movable upper plate having its outer end pivoted or hinged to the base at or near its outer end, and provided with means for allowing a limited travel of the inner end of said upper plate upon said pivot and with means for positively stopping such travel at a predetermined point and for automatically locking the head rest in such stopped position, said locking means being manually releasable to release the headrest from its locked position, and with resilient means to return the upper plate to its normal upper position when released.

Other objects will appear from the specification.

Figure 1 of my drawings shows a plan view of my headrest;

Figure 2 shows a front elevation thereof;

Figure 3 shows a side elevation of my headrest; and

Figure 4 shows a fractional sectional view on the line 4--4 of Figure 2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My apparatus includes a base plate 1 with an upper plate 2 hinged together or pivotally united by a pivot 8 at one end, to be referred to as the outer end, with a padded portion 3 mounted upon the upper plate. The inner ends of these plates are provided with opposed small blocks 4 and which act as stops to stop the downward movement of the inner end of plate 2 at a given point.

A bolt 24 has its upper end united to the top plate 2 and its lower end provided with a thumb nut 25 or other means by which the relative distance apart of said plates when in open position can be limited or determined.

Resilient means such as coiled compression springs 23 are mounted in sockets 21 and 22 formed in the upper and lower plates at opposite sides thereof and near the Patented May 7, 1957 front ends thereof which will hold the upper plate and the neck of the patient in raised position unless manually depressed and will cushion their descent when pressed down by the adjustment when administered.

Locking means are provided by a hook 18 mounted upon the lower plate and arranged to be automatically engaged by a catch 19 pivotally mounted upon the upper plate with a pivot 20 and having a trigger 17 united thereto by which it can be manually released from its locked position.

The padded portion 3 has a central opening 7 formed therein with a channel 6 leading from the central opening to the front of the padded portion. The channel 6 is made of sutficient size to admit an ear of the patient and the opening 7 will underlie and accommodate a portion of the patients head which extends towards or nearly to the hinge or pivoted end of the plates.

In the operation of my apparatus, the patient is preferably placed upon a chiropractic table or support lying upon one side with his neck and head resting laterally upon the padded portion 3 and one ear extending into the channel 6, but it can also be used with kneeling or other types of support. The head extends toward or to the outer end of the upper plate, so that the inner end of the upper plate and the neck of the patient at the inner end of the upper plate can be moved the required distance with little or no downward movement of the outer end of the upper plate or of the top of the patients head.

The adjustment is manually performed in the usual well known way of the chiropractic profession by applying downward force upon the portion of the neck over an articulation of the spine such as the atlas or axis, with sufiicient force to move the neck of the patient downwardly and to move that end of the headrest downwardly for a short distance not exceeding three-quarters of an inch until checked by the stop blocks 4 and 5, at which point the catch 19 will automatically engage the hook 18 and lock the top plate in its downward position where it will remain until manually released by operation of the trigger 17.

The tissues of the neck will usually permit a slight continuing movement of the articulations of the spine after the movement of the top plate has been stopped. As the hands are removed from the neck of the patient, the tissues of the neck will automatically permit recoil of the articulations of the spine, which recoil is well recognized as being an important element in correcting cervical subluxation.

The different parts of my apparatus may be made of any suitable metal or material and various changes in the size, proportion and form of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as set out in the claims and I do not limit my claims to the precise forms shown in the drawings.

I claim:

1. In a headrest for use in administering chiropractic adjustments in the upper cervical region, the combination with a stationary lower plate, of an upper plate with its outer end pivotally mounted upon the lower plate and with its inner end movable upwardly upon the pivot for a short distance adapted to support the neck of a patient at its inner end with the head of the patient extending toward the outer end of the upper plate, means at the inner ends of the upper and lower plates adapted to contact and to stop the downward movement of the upper plate at a given point when the adjustment is applied to the neck of a patient thereon, resilient means mounted between the plates near their inner ends adapted to hold the inner end of the upper plate in raised position until the adjustment force is applied, adjustable means mounted upon the upper and lower plates to limit the upward movement of the upper plate, the upper plate having a padded portion thereon provided with a channel adapted to receive the ear of a patient resting laterally thereon.

2. In a head rest for use in administering chiropractic adjustments in the upper cervical region, the combination with a stationary lower plate, of a similar upper plate with its outer end pivotally mounted upon the lower plate and with its inner end movable upwardly for a short distance and adapted to support the neck of a patient at its inner end with the head of the patient extending toward the outer end of the upper plate, means upon the inner ends of the upper and lower plates adapted to contact and stop the downward movement of the upper plate after the adjustment is applied to the neck of a patient thereon, resilient means mounted upon and between the plates near their inner ends adapted to hold the inner end of the upper plate in raised position until the adjustment force is applied, and adjustable means mounted upon the upper and lower plates to limit the upward movement of the upper plate when it is released, the upper plate having a padded portion thereon provided with a channel adapted to receive the ear of a patient resting laterally thereon, said padded portion also having a central opening adapted to accommodate a portion of the head of a patient so resting thereon.

3. In a headrest for use in administering chiropractic adjustments in the upper cervical region, the combination with a stationary lower plate, of an upper plate with its outer end pivotally mounted upon the lower plate and with its inner end movable upwardly upon the pivot for a short distance adapted to support the neck of a patient at its inner end with the head of the patient extending toward the outer end of the upper plate, means at the inner ends of the upper and lower plates adapted to contact and to stop the downward movement of the upper plate at a given point when the adjustment is applied to the neck of a patient thereon, resilient means mounted between the plates near their inner ends adapted to hold the inner end of the upper plate in raised position until the adjustment force is applied, adjustable means mounted upon the upper and lower plates to limit the upward movement of the upper plate, the upper plate having a padded portion thereon provided with a channel adapted to receive the ear of a patient resting laterally thereon, and a catch mounted upon the lower board with a latch and trigger pivotally mounted upon the upper board whereby the latch may engage the catch and rigidly secure the boards in closed position until manually released.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,228,953 Naysmith June 5, 1917 2,374,730 Catlin May 1, 1945 2,381,922 Norris Aug. 14, 1945 

